SD Blades Level

bertsmobile1

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Because if the back is lower ( called heeling the deck ) the back of the blade cuts the grass then those clippings have to travel all the way round the deck to the right side to be discharged .
Some counter rotating and timed blade decks heel but most have what is called a positive attack angle
 

smallenginerepairs

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If you have some grass not being lifted up to be cut, or it looks like yourbeating the grass not cutting it smoothly, it could be that one ormore blades are installed wrong. On the blade at one end you have your cutting edge, on the other end there is a tab that is bent upward. That tab should be pointing up towards your deck. That tab is what creates an upward vaccum under your deck which pulls your grass upward to cut each grass blade evenly, even if some are laying down. If you have your tab facing down towards the grass when mowing the tab will actually be blowing the grass down giving you an uneven cut.
 

gasjr4wd

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FYI: There are not many blade options for the Hustler Raptor SD54. There will be OEM and aftermarket equivalents. Then there are Gator style blades. The Gator style blades aren’t worth a flip for cutting grass with high moisture content and they lose some lift due to cuts in the air foil.
Are you nuts? I've got the same exact mower and have about 6-10 different types of blades. Is your google broken?
 

MParr

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Are you nuts? I've got the same exact mower and have about 6-10 different types of blades. Is your google broken?
Nope, my google isn’t broken. 54” mowers aren’t as common as 52” and 60”.
 

gasjr4wd

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Nope, my google isn’t broken. 54” mowers aren’t as common as 52” and 60”.
BS. Then why is it I can find 54" blades fine? 54" is more common then 52", and 60" is about the same as 54". I've got a whole tool box draw full of blades... so, what magic blade are you looking for? And yea, I'm not wowed by gator blades. I've got the G3's and G5's. I find Rotary Copperhead Mulching Blades much better. (yea, I've got the 2.5" and 3") The little fins go out rather than in, pushing the grass out. You are turning grass into much from not sharpening the blades before installing them. NO blade comes sharp. Lower the angle to no more than 30 degrees, I run about 20. Clean the underside of the deck and spray it with a product MADE FOR THIS. It must dry. It can't be sticky. Then don't cut wet grass. Most of the time I run two sets of blades. X-blade adapters. They don't do all they say, but they are _much_ better than running a single blade.
 

MParr

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BS. Then why is it I can find 54" blades fine? 54" is more common then 52", and 60" is about the same as 54". I've got a whole tool box draw full of blades... so, what magic blade are you looking for? And yea, I'm not wowed by gator blades. I've got the G3's and G5's. I find Rotary Copperhead Mulching Blades much better. (yea, I've got the 2.5" and 3") The little fins go out rather than in, pushing the grass out. You are turning grass into much from not sharpening the blades before installing them. NO blade comes sharp. Lower the angle to no more than 30 degrees, I run about 20. Clean the underside of the deck and spray it with a product MADE FOR THIS. It must dry. It can't be sticky. Then don't cut wet grass. Most of the time I run two sets of blades. X-blade adapters. They don't do all they say, but they are _much_ better than running a single blade.
Whatever
 

timlab55

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@MParr - Will I did your leveling suggestion and I think I might have a winner here. Sorry been busy with foxes after my cats during the monring time, working on getting the right CCTV cameras purchased and installed, and next week I have a few doctors appts and start working on a well house. You just got to love the country life that's for sure. Anyway, getting back to the blade leveling and cutting. So I level out the blades and its a wonder that I actually was able to do it. Now I did use some gator blades that were two cuts in. So I got my ZTR over to my house for the real test and it was nice for a change not to see that darn highway grass sticking up in a row. The cutting is still off, but not like it use to be. I did noticed that the hangers on the deck (some are bent and soon to be replace), so that is part of my problem. Anyway, this evening I put some Organ blades on it (like the OEM's). And WOW what a differences in the cut. I did noticed that the middle blade (if it is the middle blade is still leaving LOT of uncut grass in the middle, but it sure looks nice with 1 cut and doing 2 cuts, no problem. Any suggestions on how can I tell which blade is not doing what it's suppose to do?
Thanks
Dan
 

MParr

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Get you some new deck hangers installed. Check your pulleys and spindles for proper operation. Make sure that your deck isn’t bent where the spindles mount. After all of that, level the deck again.
Run full throttle and slow your mowing speed.
 
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